What Is Considered a Dental Emergency?

Dental problems can become severe if left untreated for a long time. It is ideal to recognize what constitutes a dental emergency. Different medical ailments and conditions can affect your dental health. While some dental problems are minor, others may need you to seek help from your dentist immediately.

Understanding the difference between a minor and emergency dental issue is crucial to ensure you do not put your health in danger.

The Classification of a Dental Emergency

Dental emergencies are common occurrences that people take for granted. Any dental situation that can cause a danger to your life is a dental emergency. Experiencing symptoms that have endangering effects on your life means you need to seek urgent medical attention.

Dental issues that require immediate medical care to save a tooth, alleviate pain, or stop bleeding constitute an emergency. Dental infections that threaten your life are an emergency.

Determining whether your dental situation requires immediate attention can be easy if you go through the following questions:

Do you have severe pain? Experiencing severe pain is an indication you need medical help.
Have you lost a tooth? Your dentist can potentially help you from losing more teeth if you seek treatment early.
Are any of your teeth lost? Having a loose tooth or teeth could indicate a critical problem even without having pain.
Do you have an oral or dental infection? Infections are potentially life-endangering. Swollen face, knots, or swelling on your gums is a sign of infection.
Is your mouth severely bleeding? A bleeding mouth is a sign of a severe problem.

Most Common Dental Emergencies

Below are the common types of dental emergencies:

Abscess.
Lost tooth filling.
Broken jawline.
Injuries that harm your gums.
Partly dislodged tooth.

What is Not Considered a Dental Emergency

Dental issues that can wait for a few days to see a dentist are not emergencies. Some issues may seem critical but are not emergencies. Having a broken tooth is only an emergency if you are in severe pain or sharp fragments left behind are wounding the inside of your mouth.

Your toothache treatment can wait for a few days if you are not experiencing severe pain and you have no abscess. But any signs of high fever, swellings, or bumps in your mouth call for immediate medical attention.

How to Distinguish Whether You Need a Pain Reliever or a Dentist

Severity is the common factor that determines the need for immediate action. If you can sleep soundly without the pain inhibiting your comfort, it may not be an urgent matter that needs dental treatment. If you experience bleeding, swelling in the mouth, loose or falling teeth, contact your dentist.

How to Avoid Having a Dental Emergency

Taking good care of your gums and teeth is the best way to avoid having a dental emergency. Visit your dentist for regular checkups to check for signs of infections, bleeding, loose tooth, decay, or gum disease.

Your dentist can customize a treatment based on your needs to address the dental emergencies that you have. It is crucial to look for any signs that indicate you need immediate dental care help.

For more on dental emergencies, call Progressive Dental & Associates at our office in Matteson, Illinois. You can also call (708) 980-0110 to book an appointment today.

What Is Considered a Dental Emergency?